Glazed Pearl Onion Crepe Recipe

After watching the "How to Make Crêpe Batter" tutorial, you'll see how fairly basic it is. As I mentioned in the video, I first learned how to make crêpesin kintergarten back in France, and I haven't forgotten since then. After a little practice, you'll be able to adjust the quantities of liquid (milk, alcohol or citrus juice) by eyeballing until the perfect consistency is reached (see video).

You can fill the crêpeswith many possible ingredients. This savory version contained pearl onions that I glazed in Marsala wine, brown sugar, butter and truffle balsamic vinegar. It wouldn't be the same without a bit of cheese, so I started with a thin layer of Gruyère and topped the onions with a sprinkle of French feta.

Directions

For the glazed pearl onions: In a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons canola oil. Add the whole pearl onions. Add 2 cups of water; the water should barely cover the pearl onions. Bring to a boil then lower to a gentle simmer; cook, covered, for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt (1 teaspoon) half-way through the cooking process (it will bring out the natural flavor of the onions and they'll be more tender) and keep stirring every now and then so the onions don't stick to the bottom of the pot.

In a small pan, combine 1 tablespoon brown sugar and the balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil and thicken for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Check the liquid; once it has reduced, the texture of the pearl onions should be soft but they shouldn't fall apart. Transfer to a plate. Add the Marsala wine, bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low. Add 4 tablespoons butter. When the butter melts, add the remaining brown sugar. Reduce for about 5 minutes. Return the pearl onions, drizzle with the truffle balsamic glaze and let the liquid thicken. Turn off the stove once the onions are glazed (about 5-8 minutes). Add 1 tablespoon parsley. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Assembly:

Place your crêpe pan (or any flat pan) over medium heat. Grease it with a little butter using a silicone brush. Re-heat the crêpe in the pan for a minute. Lower the heat and flip the crêpe. Add a thin layer of Gruyère in the center; that way the melted cheese will seal the pores in the crêpe. Cover with the glazed onions. Sprinkle Feta cheese. Cover with a lid and let the Gruyère melt over low heat for about 1-2 more minutes.

Garnish with parlsey. Using a spatula, fold the edges of the crêpe in on all 4 sides by about 2 to 3 inches; this leaves a few pearl onions exposed.

Repeat the same procedure with the remaining crêpes.

Crêpes are traditionally accompanied by apple cider served in stoneware cups and sweet crêpes sprinkled with granulated sugar for dessert.

Bon appétit!

Tips

The longer you let the batter rest, the better. It will still be good after 2-3 days in the refrigerator.

The first crêpe is never perfect. You might want to thin the batter with more water if the crêpe turns out too thick.

An easy way to peel pearl onions is to blanch them. Place the whole pearl onions in a saucepan filled with boiling water and cook for about 3 minutes. Drain the onions and transfer to a bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water. Let them sit for a few minutes until the onions are cool. Drain the onions and you'll see they're much easier to peel.

If you want to save some time, you can use frozen pearl onions that you've thawed. I find the texture to be slightly different. The frozen ones release their water and shrink in size, whereas the fresh pearl onions have a better consistency.

The best spatula to flip crêpes is the one from Ikea. It's long, flat, heat resistant and gentle on non-stick pans. And it's inexpensive .

I used Marsala wine (an Italian wine liqueur) for this recipe but you could also use dry white wine or even water if you don't want to use alcohol.

I received a whole set of truffle ingredients from family friends who recently vacationed in Florence, Italy. The bottle says "Delizia al Barolo e Tartufo". The smell is invigorating and addicting!